Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1887-09-23
A SIXTY-DAYS FAST.
The Champion Food-Abstainer of
the World.
The Man Who Puts Succi Tanner and
Merlatti to the Blush-Fasters From
Necessity and From Choice.

Some little regret having been occa-
stoned among the physicians who
watched Merlatti that he should not be
dying at the end of his long fast, and
have given them an opportunity of de-
termining by dissection the effects of
fifty days total abstinence from all solid
food, it may be worth while to recall
the fact that in other cases an even
longer abstinence from food has been
recorded, with abundant opportunity
for examining the condition of the I'M
fortunate victims interior.
The first case of the kind which, so
far as know, is on record, is that of
patient of DR.. Currie, a well-known
physician OF generation or so ago.
In August, 1895, Yorkshreman of
property applied to Currie for assist
ance on account of an obstruction in
his throat, which threatened soon to
deprive him of the power of swallow
ing. When first seen by Currie, the
patient had already lost the power of
swallowing solids of any kind, and the
quantity of liquid matter he was able
to swallow was not sufficient for his
nutrition. He was already consider
ably reduced. The operation of trach-
otomy naturally suggested itself to Dr.
Currie as appropriate under these con-
ditlons. But on passing bougie into
the patients gullet it was found that,
although there was an obstruction some
two inches down, the real obstruction
laid seven or eight inches deep-a hard
tumor having formed in the passage,
whose steady growth threatened to
close it wholly.
On October IL the obstruction rather
suddenly increased, insomuch that
from that day the patient could not
swallow more than seven or eight
spoonfuls of broth. Even that quantity
diminished until, ON October 80, the
passage was wholly closed, and from
that day the patient took no more food
OF any sort. Bathing in milk and
water and other external applications
OF food can hardly be supposed to have
had much authoritative value, so that
the subsequent progress of the en-
forced last may reasonably be COM
pared with the cases of Succi, Merlatti,
Tanner and the rest of the freely-fast-
ing fraternity.
On October 80, then, after thirteen
days of almost total abstinence from
food, preceded by two months of very
short fare, the unfortunate gentleman
entered on the fasting path, which in
his case could end in but one way.
Before he had begun to suffer from the
obstruction to his swallowing he was
rather corpulent, weighing 240 pounds
Che was tall and finely-built mani. By
October 3Ohis weight had been reduced
to 179 pounds. In the first twenty DAYS
from the period of the sudden increase
of the obstruction, his weight was re-
duced to 154 pounds. In the next four
days he lost five pounds more. On the
thirty-second day from the time he
ceased to swallow he became delirious.
AT this time he weighed only 1873
pounds, having lost upwards of 100
pounds of his original weight. He died
ON the thirty-sixth day from the time of
absolute abstinence from food. This.
with the thirteen days of almost total
abstinence, and the preceding two
months, during which the loss of more
than quarter of his weight showed
that he was receiving much less than
the proper amount of nutrition, may be
regarded as u fast considerably more
taxing than that which Merlatti has re-
Gently completed, and altogether more
remarkable than either Tanners or
Succi' fast, seeing that neither of these
either tasted so completely or so long.
Apart from this, DIR, Currie's patient
was suffering from a disease which
must to some degree have taxed his
physical strength. Thus, whatever
Tanners, Succi's and Merlatti's fasts
may have shown, this Yorkshireman's
enforced fast had taught much more
effectively ninety-one years ago.
For one month from the time of total
abstinence from food the unfortunate
man retained "a calm and even cheerful
dcmeanor, Occasionally he expressed
wish that he could swallow, but not
often nor anxiously. When questioned
as to his appetite, he always said that
he felt no sense of hunger sufficient 10
cause him any dneasiness. Nor was he
disturbed by thirst. Probably the ex-